Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Hōeidō edition)
Hara: Mount Fuji in the Morning
原 朝之富士 · Hara, asa no Fuji
Utagawa Hiroshige · c. 1833–34
What it is
On the flat marsh road at Hara, two women and a porter walk beneath the closest, tallest Fuji of the whole journey — so tall the peak bursts through the printed border at the top of the sheet.
Why it matters
It is the boldest compositional stroke in the series: rather than shrink the mountain to fit, Hiroshige lets it break the frame, and every traveler who ever gasped at Hara’s view understands why.
What to notice
Follow the ruled black border along the top of the sheet — Fuji’s summit simply crosses it into the margin; the jagged Ashitaka range at right makes the great cone look calmer still.
Some things do not fit inside their frame.
The record
- Artist
- Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重 (1797–1858)
- Series
- Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Hōeidō edition)
- Date
- c. 1833–34
- Publisher
- Hōeidō (Takenouchi Magohachi)
- Medium
- woodblock print; ink and color on paper
- Source
- The Art Institute of Chicago · 1961.156
- bokashi
Impression note. Fuji’s snow is reserved paper and its shoulder carries a delicate gradation; fine impressions keep the peak’s break through the ruled border crisp, the design’s whole point. Impression variance is real — printings differ in wiping and fading — and choosing the finest openly held impression is the curatorial act.
Public domain; faithfully reproduced.
Bring it home
Printed to order on EMA matte art paper, 200gsm.
From the same series
Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Hōeidō edition)Nihonbashi: Morning SceneUtagawa Hiroshige · c. 1833–34
Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Hōeidō edition)Shinagawa: SunriseUtagawa Hiroshige · c. 1833–34
Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Hōeidō edition)Hakone: The LakeUtagawa Hiroshige · c. 1833–34
Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Hōeidō edition)Mishima: Morning MistUtagawa Hiroshige · c. 1833–34The road at your moment — Painted Earth’s ukiyo-e style pack.